Garment cabinet



L. H. AHRENS GARMENT CABINET Filed March 25, 1958 III o Looms h! Ami/vs INVENTOR. Q2

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BY Patent-Agent States 2,968,520 Patented Jan. 3?, 1961 GARMENT CABINET Loomis H. Ahrens, Day Ave., Sulfield, Conn.

Filed Mar. 25, 1958, Ser. No. 723,747

3 Claims. (Cl. 312-246) My invention relates to cabinets used for storing garments and the like, and more particularly to cabinets of the type which may be extended and contracted for greater serviceability.

One of the principal objects of my invention is to provide a garment cabinet which in its contracted position is able to store a large amount of garments and the like in a very limited space, and which in its extended position can make them available for very convenient inspection, removal or replacement.

Another important object of my invention is to provide garment cabinets for business establishments which, by furnishing an extremely compact storage means for garments and the like, can utilize the valuable store space rnost advantageously, and which, by the easy extension of the required cabinet can make any of these stored goods instantly available for convenient display and removal.

A further important object of my invention is to provide a garment cabinet which due to its small contracted dimensions can be conveniently installed in small rooms of homes and hotels, and which at the same time can offer a very convenient access to the stored garments by the simple act of the extension of the cabinet.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will be apparent during the course of the following description.

In the drawing forming a part of the present application, wherein, for the purpose of illustration, is shown a preferred embodiment of my invention:

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing my invention in its extended position,

Figure 2 is a horizontal sectional view showing the garment cabinet in its contracted position,

'Figure 3 is a partly sectional view of the extensible linkage, showing the garment carrying hooks.

Referring to the drawing, wherein like numerals are employed to designate like parts, the numerals 1 and 2 represent the floor and the wall, respectively, of the room in which my invention is installed. Supported on the floor is the cabinet 3 having an open back directed toward the wall 2 and a front plate 4 disposed opposite to said open back. Adjacent to this front plate are the two side plates 5, one of which in the preferred form is provided with a door 6, as illustrated in Fig. 2. In alternative forms of my invention this door 6 may be omitted and in other forms both side plates of the cabinet may be provided with doors.

The cabinet 3 is movable between two extreme posiin one of these positions, illustrated in Fig. 2 and called the contracted or storing position, the cabinet 3 is brought close to the wall 2 with the open back of the cabinet covered by the wall 2. In the other extreme position, shown by the full lines in Fig. 1 and called the extended or servicing position, the cabinet 3 is moved M away from the wall 2. In the preferred form of invention the cabinet 3 is equipped with rollers '7 for easy mo /ability.

An important element of my invention is the extensible linkage 8, one end of which is pivotally secured to the wall 2 by means of the bracket 9, and the other end of which is pivotally secured to the interior surface of the front plate 4 of the cabinet 3, forming a connection of variable length between the wall and the cabinet.

This extensible linkage 8 is composed of the following parts: a multiplicity of cross links arranged in pairs, and two pairs of end links. Each pair of cross links comprises an upper cross link 11 and a lower cross link 12, which are pivotally connected at their midpoints; these cross link pairs are then serially arranged by pivotally connecting the free ends of each upper cross link to the adjacent free ends of the lower cross links, thereby forming a construction commonly called lazy tongs. Upper end link 13 and lower end link 14 provide pivotal coupling between the first cross link pair and the bracket 10 attached to the wall 2, and similarly the upper end link 15 and lower end link 16 provide pivotal coupling between the last cross link pair and the bracket 9 attached to the interior of the cabinet.

The pivotal connections between these links is accomplished by pins 17 and resilient washers 18 so as to permit a free angular movement in the plane of the links with sufiicient stiffness in perpendicular direction to this plane in order to provide the necessary beam strength to carry the weight of the suspended garments. For the purpose of increasing the load carrying capacity of the extensible linkage 8 the preferred form illustrated in Fig. l is provided with a portable leg 39 attached to a central point of the linkage, as an optional addition which, however, is not a part of my invention.

Fig. 3 of the drawing illustrates a preferred arrangement of the garment carrying hooks it which in this case are secured to the pins 17 of the pivotal joints of the linkage. In alternative forms of my invention the garment carrying elements may have diiferent shapes and may be secured to other points of the extensible linkage 8.

The operation of my invention is as follows:

The cabinet 3 is moved into the extended position, shown in Fig. l, and the garments are suspended on the garment carrying elements of the extensible linkage. Following this, the cabinet is moved into the contracted position, shown in Fig. 2 enclosing the stored garments in a most compact manner. The door 6 illustrated in Fig. 2 is used to increase the accessibility of the garments stored near the front end of the extensible linkage.

It is to be understood that the form of my invention herein described and illustrated is to be taken as an example of the same, and that various changes in the shape, size, and in the arrangement of parts may be resorted to, without departing from the spirit of my invention or the scope of the subjoined claims.

I claim:

1. In combination with a floor and an adjoining wall; a cabinet having an open back directed toward said wall and a front plate opposite said open back, said cabinet being movable on said floor between its contracted position, in which said open back is adjacent to said wall,

,. and its extended position, in which said open back is at a distance from said wall; an extensible linkage interconnecting said wall and the front plate of said cabinet, and comprising pairs of cross links pivotally connected forming lazy tongs, a pair of end links pivotally connecting one end of said lazy tongs to said wall for permanent support, and another pair of end links pivotally connecting the other end of said lazy tongs to the in References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Kuntzendorf Mar. 14, 1911 Crowder Dec. 14, 1915 

